Railroad-rail joint.



' No. 848.455. PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907, v

. J. J. FEENY. RAILROAD RAIL JOINT;

'APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 4 1906.

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attain "I; NORRIS PETERS cc-. wAsHmcroN. n c.

JAMES JOSEPH FEENY, OF SALTVILLE, VIRGINIA.

RAILROAD-RAIL JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26,1907.

Application filed August 4, 1906. Serial No. 329,182.

To all wiwm it may concern:

,1; Be it known that I, J AMEs J OSEPHQFEENY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Saltville, in the county of Smyth and State of Virginia, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Railroad-Rail Joints; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The invention has relation to means for splicing railway-rails; and it consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawin s, illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is a si e view of the invention as applied. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail side view of one of the splice-plates. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the same, and Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line 6 6, Fig. 1.

In the drawings the letters a ando designate adjacent ends of railroad-rails, and c and d the splice-plates by means of which these ends are designed to be securely connected together. The rails are provided with bolt-holes 6, extending through the web in the ordinary manner.

Each splice-plate consists of an elongated lateral portion f, extending upward to fit the web of the rail and having a sloping base portion 9 to fit the top of the base, said base portion extending from the lower part of the web portion. From this base portion extends around the edge of the rail-bottom and under the same the bottom portion h of the splice, said bottom portion extending from one end of the base portion about twothirds of its length, more or less, where it terminates in an acute angle at k, this being the end of an angular portion m, having an oblique edge p, extending across the rail-bottom about midway of the splice-plate for a distance of about one-third the length of the same, more or less, to an upward-curved cramping-flange s, which is adapted to engage the edge portion t of the opposite spliceplate beyond the acute angle of its base. This edge portion t of one plate, which is engaged by the cramping-flange s of the other, is slightly tapered or beveled from the end of the base portion outward and along said portion, terminating in a slight shoulder at v on said edge at the acute angle 7c. These spliceplates are readily placed on opposite sides of the rail, their bottom portions extending under the same and having their crampingflanges projecting upward along the edges of the rail-base. WVhen driven together, these splice-plates engage each other by the interlocking and wedging to ether of the beveled edge portion t of each p ate with the cramping-flange s of the opposite plate. When driven home, the oblique mar ins of their bottom portions are brought c lose to each other under the rail, and the plates are secured in position by means of the couplingbolts 2, passing through bolt-holes u of the splice-plates and the bolt-holes of the rails.

When the plates are wedged together in the manner indicated, they are caused to close toward each other on the base of the rail, so as to grasp it firmly. The splice is continued along the middle portion of the plates under the base of the rail by the middle angular bridge extensions m of their bottom portions, which being located under the meeting-point of the rail ends, support the same in such wise as to assist in providing a firm and strong joint.

Having described the invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a rail-joint, a pair of mutually-engaging splice-plates of twin character, having vertical perforated portions embracing the web of the rail, each plate having at one end a tapering upward and inward flanged portion overlying the top of the base of the rail, and at the other end a tapering lower portion underlying the base of the rail and provided with a tapering downward-extending flange at the opposite side of the plate from said tapering upward and inward flanged portion, said tapering lower portion having an oblique transverse edge extending across the joint of the rails from the inner end of said tapering downward-extending flange to the In testimony whereof I affix my signature inner end of said tapering upward and inward in presence of two Witnesses. flanged portion, the tapering upward and inward extending portions and tapering down- JOSEPH FEENY' Ward-extending flanges of the plates being Witnesses: adapted to have a cramping engagement with J. F. LEONARD,

each other and with the rail-bases. GEO. W. ROGAN. 

